i'm picking up my new pup tomorrow and i'm trying to figure out what i should feed her. she's goin on 5 months old. the previous owner has been feeding her kibbles and bits... ive been reading up on some dog food brands that i thought was good, but turned out to be cheap quality. any suggestions? thanks

Personally, I've had good luck feeding Merrick Wilderness Blend and Evangers Pheasant & Brown Rice. Also check out what your local feed stores/pet stores, etc sell before settling on a brand because sometimes a good food can be VERY hard to find, depending on where you live.

Whatever food you choose to buy, make sure you switch the pup over to the new food slowly or the pup could get an upset stomach and/or diarrhea. Mix the old with the new food and gradually decrease the amount of the old food until your pup is getting nothing but the new food -- this process should take about a week. If you notice any gastrointestinal upset, go even more slowly or add in more of the old food.

You can also give the pup nothing but cooked white rice and boiled chicken (no bones, no flavourings) for a few days, then gradually add in the new food over the next week. This works really well for shelter dogs with unknown nutritional pasts and dogs that have medical conditions and/or diarrhea -- it helps stabilize and calm their intestines so they can handle a richer, better food more easily.

Best of luck and we expect pictures of the new pup as soon as you pick her up!

Never make someone a priority in your life when that someone treats you like an option.

As a puppy we fed Degan solid gold wolf cub dry food-- it is very high in protein and the main ingredient is bison. We loved the food with the exception of one thing: His gas! it was AWFUL. When we got Harlow we were feeding them both the wolf cub but it seemed to upset her stomach, so we slowly switched to Wellness--it is a grain free, and really helped with Harlow's stomach, and also with her skin allergies. We love Wellness. Their gas is still pretty terrible, but doesn't quite clear a room like it used to. We used to crack a raw egg over Degan's dinner, and it gave him such a shiny smooth coat, but that also upset Harlow's stomach, so we stopped giving him the eggs also. (Don't want one to be jealous, right? Both foods can be found at Petco, which was easier for us because there aren't a lot of feed supply, or specialty pet stores around here carrying things like Innova.

~Brittany, Degan and Harlow's mom

"It is true that Pit Bulls grab and hold on. But what they most often grab and refuse to let go of is your heart, not your arm."

I'm a big fan of Wellness Core. Little pricey, but a big bag lasts about 6 weeks. Inara's been on it for quite a while now and looks fantastic, no gas, no "doggy breath," doesn't smell like a dog, etc.

the Core is high in protein - I'm not sure if that's good or bad for puppies?

"Remember - every time your dog gets somewhere on a tight leash *a fairy dies and it's all your fault.* Think of the fairies." http://www.positivepetzine.com"